Han Solo #4

Han Solo #4 continues to propel this series to the top of the stack as the best Star Wars story Marvel is doing right now. With outstanding artwork by Mark Brooks, Sonia Oback and Matt Milla, the story looks great. Combined by the excellent storytelling and dialog provided by Marjorie Liu, and you have a winning combination that makes this series hard to beat. With only one more issue to go, things are almost wrapped up. But for Han, the race is still on.

The issue opens as Han and Chewbacca deal with an unhinged Rebel spy named Dorae. Dorae has it out for Chewbacca, and it’s up to Han to do some smooth talking to diffuse the situation. With a little help from his friends, no blood is spilled. Picking up a few more strays, Han loads up the Falcon and is back in the race. But the next stop leads them once again to the Imperials, and there’s a compelling development in the whole traitor subplot.

Storywise, the bulk of this issue is actually in the dialog as there isn’t a whole lot of action. Thankfully Marjorie Liu has a strong point for dialog and there are some great scenes in this issue. From the touching, insightful conversation between Han and Dragon Void pilot Loo Re Anno, to the laugh out loud moment between Dorae and the Twi’lek pilots, there’s a lot to enjoy. Liu packs in humor, drama, backstory development, as well as points that push the story forward and further flesh out the characters. Best of all, it all rolls out naturally and seamlessly. The story flows from one moment to the next without a hitch as it continually pulls you in deeper. With the added visuals, the experience is that much more immersive.

Right from the get go, you can see the amount of detail the artwork goes above and beyond to achieve. The second panel shows Han Solo removing his goggles which reveals the dust stained face around the outline of where his goggles where. It’s such a tiny detail but it makes the visual reality of the comic that much more believable. Sure we’re being asked to believe that Han Solo it talking to a tiger cat alien, and, well, we believe it. It works. But it’s not just the little details that sell the comic, it’s the art overall. When you get to the panel where the Twi’lek pilots and Loo Re Anno pop in, it’s just a gorgeous panel. It doesn’t look cartoony or rushed. From the linework to the coloring and lighting, it’s perfect. It pops from the page and captures your attention. Throughout the issue, Loo Re Anno gets some great shots and half the appeal is the coloring and lighting effects of her face and her glittery golden eyes. Even the layouts and panel compositions push the envelope as the whole thing coalesces together into a splendid visual story. There’s even a Rogue One nod as the hover tank troopers show up. It’s great stuff.

With one more issue to go, things are looking good. With the race about to end and the identity of the traitor soon to be revealed, the story still has some big punches lying in wait for readers. If they can wrap it up with another issue on par with this one and the previous ones, they’ll have themselves a solid mini-series in their hands. I give Han Solo #4 a five out of five metal bikinis.